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Side by side

CHI Keratin Silk Infusion vs CHI Travel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex

62% function match · 6 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 63%. CHI Keratin Silk Infusion and CHI Travel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex share 3 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Keratin Silk Infusion — protein-hungry hair
  • Travel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex — protein-hungry hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
CHI Keratin Silk Infusion — 6 oz container CHI

Keratin Silk Infusion

  • Leave-in
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$33–38 6 oz · $5.92/oz
$19.25 2 oz · $9.63/oz

Compared at different sizes — 6 oz against 2 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 77% of the 481 leave-ins we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs more than 95% of the 481 leave-ins we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
None found No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Moderate Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Covers the core
out of 10
Covers the core
Who should choose this
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Leave-inserum
Leave-in
Where to buy
Brand website · Target
Grocery / mass · Ulta · Drugstore
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
Vegan
Not vegan · ingredient list
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientKeratin Silk InfusionTravel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex
C13-14 Isoalkane
Softens
#1Leading
#1Leading
Dimethiconol
Buildup
#2Leading
#3Leading
Isododecane
Softens
#3Leading
#2Leading
Hydrolyzed Silk
Protein
#5Supporting
#5Supporting
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
Softens
#7Supporting
#4Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#21Below the 1% line
#11Below the 1% line
Citronellol
Fragrance
#23Below the 1% line
#13Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Full ingredient list — Keratin Silk Infusion (34)
Full ingredient list — Travel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex (17)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsKeratin Silk InfusionTravel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex
Supported
2
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Keratin Silk Infusion

  • Promotes long-lasting, healthier hairStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Adds shine and elasticitySupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • Helps prevent future breakageSupportedReinforces a damaged strand.

Travel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex

  • Softens and smooths hairSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Controls frizz and flyawaysStated by brandMay help, but not a primary focus.
  • Adds shine and supports heat stylingSupportedReflects light for visible shine.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Both praised for shine.

Keratin Silk Infusion

Works well across hair textures including wavy 2a hair, adding shine and health

Dramatically softens damaged/color-treated hair ("hasn't been this soft since I was a child")

Reformulated version feels thinner/more watery and underperforms vs. the original formula after flat-ironing

Travel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex

Controls frizz and flyaways

Exact Ulta 2 oz item 2113782, $19.25 in stock, 864 written reviews

Leaves hair soft, smooth and shiny

Exact Ulta 2 oz item 2113782, $19.25 in stock, 864 written reviews

Pleasant scent and useful heat-styling protection

Exact Ulta 2 oz item 2113782, $19.25 in stock, 864 written reviews

Some reviewers report a newer formula feels greasy

Exact Ulta 2 oz item 2113782, $19.25 in stock, 864 written reviews

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$5.92/oz vs $9.63/oz — CHI Travel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex costs about 1.6× more per ounce than CHI Keratin Silk Infusion.

$0.01/oz median $2.17/oz $76.00/oz $5.92/oz Keratin Silk Infusion $9.63/oz Travel Size Silk Infusion

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 481 leave-ins with a computable unit price.

Value readKeratin Silk InfusionTravel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Keratin Silk Infusion · Travel Size Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex · All leave-ins in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 8 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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